Текст книги "The Invitation 3. Release"
Автор книги: Roxy Sloane
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The Invitation 3:
Release
by Roxy Sloane
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Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2014 Roxy Sloane
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
EPILOGUE
THE INVITATION SERIES:
The Invitation 1
The Invitation 2: Surrender
The Invitation 3: Release
Dedicated to my readers, many of whom
I’m proud to call friends. It’s so great to hear your
excitement about my characters. I will keep trying
to make your reading pleasurable ;)
PROLOGUE
What is true release?
The delicious sting of pain against needy flesh. Fingers digging into you, spreading you open. That slow grind of friction when I pound deep inside you, low and dirty and so fucking forbidden.
You want it. You’re slick and panting, craving the pleasure only my cock can provide. Your damp pussy aches to be stretched. Filled. Possessed.
But something is holding you back. You’re right there on the precipice, but you can’t take that leap off the edge.
You’re not ready for me yet.
Because what you don’t realize is that there can be no surrender without trust. Unconditional and absolute. It’s not just your body, but your mind, too. Every last defense, all those voices holding you back.
Quiet your mind.
Open your body.
Take everything I have to give you—and more.
And then, only then will you understand.
This invitation is not just for the night.
It’s forever.
CHAPTER ONE
JUSTINE
I stand in the middle of the luxurious hotel room, the blindfold hanging from my fingertips. After weeks of thrilling, sexy games, I’m finally face to face with my mystery man. The guy who’s driven me wild, pushed every last one of my limits – and made me orgasm harder than anyone in my life before.
It’s Ash.
My Ash.
I stare at him in total shock.
“It’s me, JJ,” he says with a soft smile. “It was always me.”
He reaches for me, still naked in bed, looking illegally hot. But I lurch away. My head is spinning. I can’t believe it. All this time, it was him. By day, he acted like he barely knew me, fighting every step of the way as opposition on my client’s lawsuit. But by night…
I feel stunned, remembering all the things I did for him. Wearing sex toys in public, visiting that kinky club. I left my door unlocked, had him walk right into my apartment and touch me. Kiss me.
Fuck me.
And you were thinking about him the whole time.
I snap back. I’m still naked, my body still glowing from the epic orgasm he just delivered. It finally sinks in.
Ash. I just had sex with Ash – and I didn’t even know it.
I grab a robe from the hotel closet and belt it tightly around myself. I look frantically around for my clothes. I don’t know where they are, I was too caught up in the erotic thrill of having my mystery admirer’s hands on me, but I find my shoes kicked off across the room, and my panties in a damp heap on the floor.
“JJ?” Ash’s voice comes, concerned now. “Talk to me.”
“What is there to say?” I snap back. Tears of humiliation sting in my eyes as I pull my dress over my head. “You win.”
“What do you mean?”
I ignore his question, yanking my shoes back on. I look around for my clutch purse, but I don’t see it anywhere. “Where’s my purse?” I demand, my voice shaking. I have about ten seconds before I break down completely, and I can’t be here when it happens. I can’t let him see how much he’s hurt me.
“My purse,” I say again. I toss pillows from the bed to the floor, and bend to my knees to check under the dresser. “I need my wallet, and keys. Where is it?”
“Here.”
I look up. Ash is holding it, standing by the door in just his briefs. I stalk over and grab it, but he pulls back. His blue eyes flash dark with concern. “JJ, talk to me. What’s going on?”
“What’s going on?” I echo, my voice rising. “Why do you care? You did it. Congratulations. You won.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” Ash demands, still holding tight to my purse. The one thing I need if I’m going to get the hell out of this nightmare.
“Because it’s true. This was all a big game to you. And I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.”
My heart aches, I bite back the tears. I didn’t know my mystery man’s identity, but I opened up to him like nobody else. I let him see me at my most vulnerable. I trusted him.
And all along, Ash was laughing at me behind my back. What kind of fool does that make me?
“You planned it from the start, didn’t you?” I look at him, realizing the truth. “The minute you discovered I was the opposing counsel on this case. That’s why you flew out, when you could have had one of your minions handle it. You wanted to be here, to fuck with me in person.”
“JJ, no—” Ash starts to argue, but I won’t let him. The humiliation and betrayal is hardening into anger, and I hold onto that with everything I’ve got.
Anger will help me. Anger will keep me from collapsing into tears right here in the middle of the floor.
“Was it fun for you?” I spit. “Watching me run around, trying to untangle the big mystery? Knowing that no matter how much you belittled me in the office, I’d spread my legs for you after-hours?”
Ash looks shocked. “It wasn’t like that.”
“So tell me how it was,” I demand. “Go on, tell me what the hell was going on in that head of yours. Because right now, I can’t think of a single good reason you have for tricking me like this, stringing me along like I’m some kind of cheap toy!”
“You need to calm down.” Ash reaches for me again. I feel the heat of his skin, the strength in his touch, and dammit, my body betrays me, flooding with heat all over again.
“No!” I shove him, hard. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. Not anymore!”
My stomach twists, remembering the invitations. All those instructions, his whispered, sexy orders. I followed them blindly.
And you loved every minute of it.
“Get out.” I’m shaking with rage, at myself as much as him. “I said, get out!”
But Ash doesn’t move. He looks at me calmly. “JJ, you know me,” he says softly. “You know I would never do this to hurt you.”
“I used to know you,” I mutter, hollow. “But this guy, right here? He’s a stranger.”
A hot, disheveled stranger who’s still more magnetic than any other man I’ve known. I clench my hands into fists to keep from reaching for him, falling back into bed, and showing him everything I’ve learned since the last time we fucked, three years ago.
Except he already knows. He’s seen every part of me, betrayed me a hundred times over.
How could he do this to me?
“I trusted you,” I whisper, the words falling broken from my lips.
Ash looks pained.
“When I didn’t know your identity, I still trusted you. You took care of me. You made me feel safe. But you broke that trust here tonight. You broke us.”
I force the next words out, my heart breaking as I say them.
“I don’t ever want to see you again.”
Ash stares back, his expression unreadable. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, and I hate it that I even care. This man has betrayed me worse than anyone, and it still hurts me to see the shadow of pain in his eyes.
I snatch my purse from him and exit the bedroom, heading through the suite towards the exit.
Suddenly, his hand is on my arm, pulling me back around. “Don’t go.”
I look up. My breath catches. He’s looking at me intensely. Desire and desperation in his eyes.
How dare he?
He steps forward, slowly pushing me back against the wall. I should shove back, walk out of here and leave him behind forever, but for some reason, I can’t move.
His heat rolls through me. His scent hits like a drug. And most of all, the sheer overwhelming presence of him keeps me pinned in place. Strong. Determined.
Hungry.
My eyes flutter shut and I breathe him in.
I hate him.
“Please…” I whisper, and even I don’t know what I’m asking. For him to let me go, or turn me around and fuck me right here up against the wall, like the very first time.
Ash dips his head closer, until I can feel his breath, hot on my cheek.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice rasping. “I’ll let you go. But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
He drags his thumb softly across my lips. The feeling goes straight between my thighs. He presses harder, easing my lips apart and sliding his thumb into my mouth.
It takes everything I have not to moan out loud.
It’s crazy how my body responds to him. Even after everything, my instincts are still screaming to surrender. To suck his finger in and then fall to my knees and suck him.
He knows. His eyes flash dark. He steps in closer, and presses his body hard against mine.
I shudder. I can feel his cock pushing hard through our clothes. Thick and long, and my pussy clenches just remembering how he felt, pounding me relentlessly, splitting me wide open, filling me up.
So fucking good.
“I’ll give you some time,” he repeats, sliding his thumb out of my mouth. “But I’m not giving up. Because no matter how mad you are right now, we both know that you loved this, JJ. Every fucking minute of it.”
My eyes fly open, in time to see his stare. Blazing. Arrogant.
Before I can protest, his lips crash down on mine, claiming me in a passionate kiss.
Fuck him.
I fight the desire surging through my body, but it’s too strong. I want to fight him off. Push him away. I feel his tongue in my mouth, his hands trying to distract me, intense and hard.
Fuck me for letting him do this.
Ash devours me, merciless, until finally, the kiss turns tender. Soft and sweet, heart-breakingly slow. He pulls away, caressing my cheek.
He betrayed me, used me, and after all that, he still thinks he can have me. Like I’ll roll over and forgive him for this without a second thought.
“No, you won’t.” I manage to pull myself together and push him away from me. “I don’t need time. We’re over. Send one of your staff to deal with the lawsuit, fly back to England, I don’t fucking care. I’m never speaking to you again.”
With a final glare, I reach the door and pull it open. But just as I’m stepping into the hallway, so close to leaving him behind forever, his voice comes, loud and direct.
“Admit it,” he says. “You hoped it would be me.”
CHAPTER TWO
JUSTINE
Ash tries calling, dozens of times, but I ignore them all and delete his texts unread. He wants to meet and explain, talk for real this time, now that I’ve had a chance to calm down.
But I don’t feel calm. I don’t feel anything but betrayed. I’ve never felt this shitty in my life. I don’t know what to do with myself. When I try to read a book or watch TV, I can’t concentrate on what’s going on right in front of me. I’m fucking miserable.
So I come up with a plan. I will allow myself exactly three days of utter misery and high-quality wallowing, and then I’m going to forget this every happened. Forget this asshole ever meant anything to me.
Every time I think about what I did, what I begged him to do to me, my stomach twists.
It’s like I’ve been under a spell of lust since opening that first invitation, and now that spell is shattered. I’m wide awake, but I wish I wasn’t. Because now that I don’t have that intoxicating cocktail of desire and adrenaline surging in my veins, there’s nothing to distract me from my broken heart.
Because he was right.
Those parting words, designed to torment me, are doing just that.
I wanted my mystery man to be Ash. I wanted it to be him so bad.
We’ve been connecting more and more; that day at the racetrack, our private meetings. It felt like the missing years disappeared, and we were right back to being us again. Friends. Maybe even more…
Until he revealed he’d been in LA for months and never even contacted you, I remind myself bitterly. He cut you out of his life, then picked you back up like some dumb toy to play with. He used you, don’t ever forget it.
But why?
The question haunts me as I spiral full-force into wallowing mode. Ice cream, trashy rom-coms, I’ve got it all covered: slumped on the couch in my sweatpants at 2 in the afternoon. I have vacation due from work, and I’m in no hurry to get back to LA in the state I’m in. Better to get every last piece of heartache out of my system before I fly home and do my victory walk through those gleaming office doors.
Maybe then I’ll give a damn about winning my case, instead of feeling like I lost everything that matters to me.
My phone rings, just as I’m considering another ice cream run to the deli on the corner.
My heart stops.
I check the caller ID and let out a sigh of relief. Not Ashton. Just the office.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Justine.” It’s one of the partners, Peyton, sounding smooth as ever. “I know you’re taking a few days off, but I wanted to congratulate you on the Venture case. It’s a big win, in all the papers.”
“Thanks.” I try to sound upbeat. A month ago I’d have been over the moon at a personal call from one of the partners, but right now, I just feel numb.
“A very nice result,” he adds, like he’s calculating the firm’s percentage. Since my client Adam couldn’t afford to pay our regular retainer, he arranged to give the firm a tiny cut of future revenues. But when you’re talking about potential billions, that tiny cut gets big real fast. “In fact, we’re having our bi-annual meeting on Monday to discuss promotions and raises. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” he adds with a chuckle. “But it’s safe to say, your name will be mentioned.”
That gets my attention. “Mentioned how?” I ask.
He laughs again. “Now, now, I shouldn’t have said anything. But rest assured, we’re all taking notice of how hard you’ve worked.”
There’s a pause, and I realize he’s waiting for some ass-kissing. “Well, thank you,” I say, mustering as much sincerity as I can. “I couldn’t have done it without your mentorship.” Read: passing off all his unwanted cases, and forgetting my name half the time. “I appreciate the opportunity.”
“Good to hear.” Peyton sounds satisfied. “I’ll keep you updated when we have more news.”
I say goodbye and hang up, holding the phone to my chest. I should feel ecstatic: I’m close to the promotion I’ve been working so hard for, sacrificing countless late nights and weekends for years so I could make partner.
Everything I wanted, mine for the taking.
Except it’s not everything anymore.
I drag myself off the couch – but only as far as the kitchen, to grab a glass of water. I catch sight of my reflection in a mirror on the way.
I look like hell. Greasy hair, pale skin, my eyes red from all the crying I swore I would never do. I can pretend like I’m just mad at Ash, but I can’t hide from the truth staring back at me: this hurts like hell.
The ‘painful knot in the middle of my chest’ kind of hurt. The low ache that makes me want to curl up in a ball and block out the world.
I don’t do heartbreak. I’ve never cared enough to hurt when it’s all over. There’s never been a guy to get so close.
Until Ash.
Fuck. It’s like after law school all over again, except even worse. How many times will I let this guy in, only to have him betray me?
He used our friendship against me. All those late nights we joked about our secret fantasies, all that dirty talk and more. I felt like the mystery guy sending the invitations could read my mind – as if he knew exactly what would turn me on the most.
Because he did. He knew everything.
Ash knew it all.
A knock comes at the door.
I whirl around so fast I nearly send a vase crashing down, but I catch it just in time. My mind races. The doorman didn’t call to let me know anyone was coming up, but Ash could charm anyone, even Juan.
“Hello?” I call cautiously. My eyes go back to the mirror, and my miserable reflection.
“It’s me, Keely.”
Thank God. She knows everything: she was the first person I called, to come drink tequila with me and hear the whole sorry story.
“Hey, just wait a sec.” I do my best to finger-comb my bedraggled hair and tug at my schlubby sweatpants. Then I go open the door.
Keely blinks. “Umm, hey. You weren’t picking up, so I got worried.”
“Sorry. I’m fine.” I head back to the living room, and slump onto the couch. I reach for the nearest takeout pizza box. Cold pizza. Works for me. “You want some?” I offer Keely the box.
She strides inside and puts her hands on her hips. “This is not fine. This is pathetic. You’ve been locked in here for days!”
“I’m just taking some time,” I protest in a small voice.
“To what? Sink into total misery and depression?”
“Well, yeah.”
Keely gives me a sympathetic smile. “Look, I know you feel like crap right now, but it’s my duty as your best friend to get your butt off the couch and feeling better.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere,” I yawn. “And besides, TCM is just starting their Meg Ryan marathon. C’mon, sit. I’ll order more pizza.”
“No way!” Keely grabs my hand and drags me up. “I’ve booked us a spa day. Hair salon, mani-pedis, the whole package.”
I look at her. “Is this your way of telling me I look like hell?”
She grins. “Yes. But you won’t be for long. It’s OK, Justine,” her voice softens. “You’re gonna be okay.” I feel tears prick at my eyes.
Keely grabs my arm and pulls me towards her. “Don’t let Ash win,” she adds.
Her words send a sharp burn of determination through me. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” I warn her.
Keely laughs. “But it’s working, right? You want to stay here crying over him, or get back to being the fabulous, ass-kicking Justine we all know and love?”
I pause. I’m still hurting, but Keely’s right. I can’t hide out here forever. “Give me ten minutes,” I tell her. “I need to take a shower.”
Two hours, one massage, a facial and seaweed wrap later, I’m feeling better. Way better. Keely booked us in for blow-outs and manicures at her fancy salon, too, and now I’m sitting in a chair beside her while people fuss around us, bringing mimosas and trashy magazines.
I relax back with a sigh. “Thanks,” I murmur. “This is exactly what I needed.”
“Good,” Keely smiles. “Now, I’ve waited long enough. Spill.”
I look over. “Spill what?”
“How you’re feeling, what’s going on,” Keely shrugs. “You’ve been on lockdown all day, not one word about Ash.”
“That’s because he’s dead to me.”
I close my eyes and try to recapture that blissful feeling, but all I see is his face, the way he looked in the hotel room, before I walked out on him forever.
Wounded. Determined.
So fucking sexy.
I groan in frustration. My eyes fly open again. “Look what you did! I’d forgotten all about him.”
Keely gives me a look.
“Well, almost,” I admit. “I just… I don’t know what to tell you. He lied, all along he had me running around over this mystery guy, and the whole time was him. He just wanted to watch me make a fool of myself.”
“I don’t know…” Keely bites her lip. “It doesn’t sound like it to me. I know I’ve never met the guy,” she adds, “But from what you’ve been telling me, he’s not the mind games type. That was why you were friends in the first place, right? You were both no-bullshit kind of people.”
“Yeah, well things change.” I gulp my mimosa.
“Maybe…” Keely muses. “Did he tell you why he sent you the invitations in the first place? Did he explain at all?”
I pause. “No,” I answer in a small voice. “I didn’t give him the chance. I was too mad.”
“Hmmm…” Keely murmurs.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she says.
I glare. “Tell me.”
“I just…” Keely sighs. “I just wonder if maybe you should hear him out. I know you’re angry,” she adds quickly. “And you have every right to be. He lied. But don’t you want to know his reasons? It might help you understand. Or move on. But either way… you’d have answers.”
She’s right. One of the worst things about this whole mess is not knowing. Why Ash disappeared after law school, why he didn’t contact me when he was living in LA. Why he chose now of all times to start up this sexy scavenger hunt and string me along. It doesn’t make any sense, and it’s driving me crazy.
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